A police inspector told a court yesterday that African migrants have been trying to leave Malta illegally practically on a daily basis.

Inspector Geoffrey Azzopardi said one can almost immediately tell that the documents used by the migrants are fake.

Because migrants have been taking advantage of the borderless Schengen zone to leave Malta for other European countries, the police inspector said that such cases have been putting Malta in a bad light.

Two migrants, Mali-born Mamadou Sidibe Sedu, 25, and Nigerian Lucky Opia Paul, 29, were both jailed for eight months yesterday, when they admitted they left Malta illegally on Sunday.

The court was presided over by Magistrate Audrey Demicoli. Legal aid lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace appeared for the accused.